How to Write the
Ending that Satisfies
How do I make my story ending sell my book? Good question, just not the
right question. Why not? Because the ending of your story doesn't sell this
book as much as it sells your next one.
Have you ever finished a book and wanted to throw it across the room, or
maybe actually did throw it across the room? Very often the book's ending made
you do that, and also made certain you wouldn't buy that author's next book.
Your goal as a storyteller is to avoid being thrown across the room, to
avoid losing a reader for your next book and the ones after it. To reach that
goal, you must create a story ending that does not frustrate. You must create
an ending that satisfies.
The end game of your story is a danger zone, partly because you are
likely to be tired of these people and their situation by now. In fact, if you
are a committed storyteller, your head and heart may already be deep into your
next book. Because of that, you must be careful not to write the ending in this
rhythm. Gallop, Gallop, Gallop, The End. That ending does not satisfy. That
ending lacks the essential Big Bang.
In earlier articles, I used the film classic Casablanca to illustrate the Dramatic Opening and the
Middle that Moves. Casablanca
is an example of the Ending that Satisfies, too. Rick and Ilsa's story is
especially rich in this respect because it has two narrative threads, an action
suspense thread and an emotional suspense thread, and both are tied up with a
Big Bang at the end.
The action climax is an actual, audible bang when arch villain German
Major Strasser is shot dead. The emotional climax is more drawn out, and that
slightly slowed down pace is part of what gives it impact. Rick, played by
Humphrey Bogart, tells Ilsa, played by Ingrid Bergman, why she must take the
plane to Lisbon and safety, not with him, but with her husband, Nazi hunter
Victor Laszlo.
The plane engine rumbles to life in the background. A single tear
trembles on Ilsa's perfect cheek. And Bogie says some of the most memorable
lines of his career.
Rick: Inside of us, we both know you
belong with Victor. You're part of his work, the thing that keeps him going. If
that plane leaves the ground and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe
not today. Maybe not tomorrow, but soon and for the rest of your life.
Ilsa: But what about us?
Rick: We'll always have Paris.
Rick walks off then with Vichy Captain Louis Renault, who has finally
discovered his inner good guy. But the Big Bang really happens in that moment
with Ilsa, when brooding cynic Rick finds his own true heroic nature and sacrifices
his heart for the good of the world and his soul.
We could hardly be more satisfied, and it all looks smooth and easy. But
don't be fooled. To carry off an ending that works this well, there has to be a
plan. To create a Big Bang Ending for your story, you must also have a plan.
You must plan your climactic scene in detail. Don't write a word until that
plan is perfect. Here are some specific suggestions for planning your Big Bang
Ending.
Plan:
·
...mostly action and dialogue, very little
narrative.
·
...keep all of this action on stage, in the
immediate present.
·
...dialogue that is spare, to the point and
memorable.
·
...on intensifying the pace, faster than what
has gone before.
·
...lots of physical movement in the scene.
·
...lots of intense sensation – sight, sound,
smell, texture and more.
·
...plunge your protagonist into peril.
·
...one more obstacle to arise for your
protagonist. Make it formidable.
·
...a confrontation between your protagonist and
antagonist.
·
...on milking that confrontation, while keeping
up the intense pace.
·
...for your protagonist to cause action, not
merely be overtaken by it.
·
...communicate your protagonist's feelings, with
impact, to the reader.
·
...on incorporating fear, even terror, among
those emotions.
·
...the presence of real danger to your
protagonist in this scene.
·
...an outcome in the balance.
·
...that outcome as crucial to your protagonist.
·
...for your protagonist to be nearly vanquished
in this scene.
·
...for your protagonist to be racing against
time.
·
...for your protagonist to triumph in the last
possible moment.
·
...for your protagonist to triumph by the
narrowest of margins.
·
...for this triumph to be uplifting and
inspiring.
The purpose of a
Big Bang Ending is to reverberate after the last page is turned, to lodge in
the psyche of the reader and be remembered, all the way to the bookstore, or
the Buy Now button, and the purchase of your next title. Stage your final scene
the way a choreographer stages a dance. The result will be a powerful Dramatic
Ending at full circle from your Dramatic Opening, and equally or even more
thrilling.
Now you must recognize
that your story is over. You and your protagonist have exploded out of the
explosive situation you exploded into on page one. You must resist the
temptation to hang around a while longer. You have taken your reader on an
unforgettable ride. Leave before she has a chance to catch her breath. Leave
before he has had enough. Leave them wanting more. No Epilogues, Please.
When you have
accomplished all of that – Here's looking at you, kid.
